recent product reviews
Tower (2016)
An interesting story that most young people probably haven’t heard about, but I have mixed feelings about the animation and reenactments. The clean, colorful animation and the stark, white backgrounds for some of the interviews sterilize the whole experience. And the interviews with the younger versions of these adults are…
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Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Lots of silly, light-hearted humor from Waititi, and a few giggles. But I think that making the whole thing a light comedy is a dangerous choice. One of the reasons the Marvel movies have been so well-received and successful is because there is a concerted effort to make the stories…
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Your Name (2016)
Fun concept. The concept of interdimensional communication and love is reminiscent of Interstellar, and there’s an opportunity to make something really emotional here, but the story falls a little short, and it’s all a little too magical for me. Portrayal of gender roles will surely outrage today’s sensitive crowd, as…
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Hidden Figures (2016)
The filmmaking and dialogue are basic, science is dumbed down, and the race thing is a little on the nose.
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Tulip Fever (2017)
Interesting backstory for the film. Shot over three years ago. It’s not great, but not as horrible as everyone’s making it out to be. Part may be my attraction to this period of Dutch history. The story is a bit aimless at first, but the complicated love triangles eventually gain…
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Mudbound (2017)
A really well-made, authentic period piece that just feels right. Mostly steady camera and minimalist music and score allow us to concentrate on the characters and story. Pacing is perfect, editing is clean. It’s beautifully shot, with loving detail paid to the costumes and smaller sets, though I feel like…
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The Florida Project (2017)
As a meandering, art-house film set in Florida, this is the new Moonlight. Hardly any story, mostly a shaky camera following some kids around. If that was the goal of the film, well done. But it’s not for me. Despite the lack of story, the last scene did have some…
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Split (2016)
Definitely Shyamalan, with it’s suspense, minimalist editing, flashbacks to establish character, a touch of the supernatural, and a twist at the end. Some of his dialogue can seem a little scripted, though. McAvoy is great as a loony. Taylor-Joy’s pretty good, though perhaps a few too many shots of her…
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50/50 (2011)
Cute, inspirational story. Gordon-Levitt isn’t that annoying, actually pretty good. Rogen is his usual charming self. Kendrick is cute as always.
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Wonder (2017)
As this generation’s Mask, it’s heavy stuff. But the storytelling is a little confusing. Are we telling the story from the perspective of Auggie? His parents? His sister? His sister’s friend? Chbosky tried to make it interesting by telling a few different stories, or maybe that’s how the original novel…
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I'm a photographer, web developer, travel enthusiast, and movie buff living in Alexandria, Virginia, USA.In the summer of 1993, I started writing reviews for every movie I saw and haven't looked back. I'm up to 2,374 reviews now. This makes me cool or a complete dork, depending on your perspective.
Some of these reviews contain spoilers, so if that bothers you, don't read!
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